The Coming of Winter
by CLBONE13
Summary: Emma Swan and her family and friends are brought to Westeros to stop Jafar from using the Legendary Children of Ice and Fire (Dany Targaryen, Jon Snow, and Bran Stark) to complete his evil ambition to take over all worlds and set them on their destiny to save their homeland, but the War of Five Kings is raging, everyone else in Westeros wants them too and Winter is Coming.
1. Chapter 1

_**THE COMING OF WINTER**_

While the Pack will live, the Lone Wolf dies in the Winter

** PROLOGUE**

**Westeros; The Tower of Joy; Eighteen years ago**

_**He found her on a bed of blood. She had grown paler and thinner in these past few months. He leaned over her, his heart heavy with defeat. This war, these deaths, all this bloodshed, it had all been to see her free again.  
That, he reminded himself, and to defeat a Mad King. But all that didn't matter. She was dying now and there was nothing he could do about it. It was his fault, of course. He should have believed her, when she told him that Winter was Coming. That there would soon be dark magic from other worlds controlling all that was happening in the Realm. That everyone was in danger. And he should have told everyone the truth. She was dying because of him. This was his fault. The entire war was his fault. He leaned in toward, though he could barely look her in the face. She had grown paler and thinner these past months. She opened one blue eye, it was clouded over like the sky after it had rained.**_

"_**Eddard." Her voice was as soft as the winter's wind. **_

"_**Lyanna." He leaned down close and held his sister's hand.  
"You came."  
"**_**Of course **_**I came." His voice sounded strangled, "It's alright, Lya. I'm here. I came for you just like I said I would. Everything is going to be alright." Though he couldn't be sure whether it was true or not. **_

"_**You were right. Brandon is dead and father and the Prince's family too." His voice caught in his throat, "Everything you said you saw was right."**_

"_**Don't speak of that now, Neddie " She whispered, "I have something else to tell you."**_

"_**No Lya," his voice was shaking, "Don't speak. Just breathe"**_

"_**In three days a time Queen Rhaella will give birth" She didn't listen, but of course she never did. "to a daughter. Every bit as bold as Aegon the Conqueror, but with a Stark's heart. And you will be blessed with two sons. A warrior with a Wolf's heart and a young king so great one day the savage Dothraki will hail him as their Stallion that Mounts the World. They are the Blessed Ones, The Children of Ice and Fire and the magic of both our families will be reborn in them. The Dragons and the Wolves will choose them to wield the great Ice Magic of the First Men and the powerful Fire Magic of Old Valyria to save the Realm, or to destroy it when Winter comes and a Mad King sits the Iron Throne. When the Wrath of the Mad Dragon has destroyed of all his blood, until one egg remains including he, himself. And when the Wolf Pack has diminished to five cubs because the Lead Wolf followed the Proud Stag into the forbidden grove. When the Stag's arrogance and the Lion's lust for power have brought about a War of Five Kings. That is when the Serpent from the Old Lands will strike. And the Walkers will travel South to claim the World. And the Swan and the Bloodraven will arrive in the North. That's when the Dragons and the Wolves that were supposedly gone from the World will rise from the ashes to claim their land. By the Dragon's claw and the Direwolf's paw the Kingdoms shall rise or fall. If the West falls soon the East shall follow and if the Rose pierces the Dragon's armor the Serpent will soon seep in." **_

"_**Lya I…" he began.**_

"_**You will make sure that it is by your children's hands and Rhaegar's sister's hands that the Kingdoms rise and prosper." Her voice was shaking, "…..Promise me, Ned."**_

_**And then her head feel back and she was gone.**_

Footnote: Please read and review. FYI: In this story anyway, the Blessed Ones/The Children of Ice and Fire is an Old Gods name for the Prince(s) that was(ere) Promised/Azhor Azhai/The Three Heads of the Dragon. The Prince(s) that was(were) Promise/The Three Heads of the Dragon is a the Seven Name (the earlier Targaryens worshipped the Seven right) and Azhor Azhai is R'Hollor name. For _Game of Thrones _the begininng of this story is about a month or two after the Red Wedding and right before the Purple Wedding so yeah, despite what I just wrote Robb's not going to be the third head of the Dragon, he's just a Red Herring (no black comedy pun intended and no, that's not the last in this story he's going to be one for his second youngest brother Bran. Also that thing with the Dothraki calling him the Stallion that Mounts the World, despite what Lyanna says she saw there's of course a prophecy twist for that. It should be fairly obvious that the other two are of course Dany and Jon and speaking of the latter I'm fully aware I just made it perfectly clear that whether I believe a certain fan theory (that I for the record only recently learned was so damn obvious in the books) it's sure as hell not true here. This is because I figured out a theory of my own (again before I learned that GRRM was so damn blatant in pointing to that one fan theory) since I'm probably going to have to show the flashback revealing it sooner or later spoiler alert: Jon Snow's mother is someone who appeared out of nowhere after there was no chance of her ever having any interaction with Ned Stark, has no backstory, and would probably look at least a little bit like Catelyn if Ned went on an uncharacteristic drinking binge. (Now see if you can figure it out before I outright reveal it.) Rhaegar and Lyanna's relationship will be platonic and based on common interests (like the power I just gave her), but that's all it will be. I know at least some people will complain, but I figured since Dany tends to get compared to Rhaegar and Arya tends to get compared to Lyanna, does the following sequence not sound all that unlikely: Rhaegar gave Lyanna the wreath at Harrenhal just to make some kind of point and the supposed "kidnapping/rape/running off together" was just Lyanna trying to teach Robert a lesson about his womanizing ways (which he tragically failed to learn) I also figured out a twist not just for Dany but for a good portion of her dead family as well involving Maester Aemon, her mother, and Craster, but I won't go into that just yet.  
For _Once Upon a Time _and _Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, _it takes place after "The New Neverland" and most of "Going Home" but with a different ending so everyone's still in Storybrooke and Rumple and Pan are still alive but no one knows where the hell the latter is (one of the things he's going to be doing in this story is try to rebuild the Lost Boys from Westreros' ridiculously large orphan populace). The Swan naturally is Emma and I think I'll use it for Snow's animal motif as well and that I will use a sheepdog for Henry and Charming, a unicorn for Regina, maybe a mouse for Rumple and Neal, a normal wolf for Red (if that's not possible maybe a fox or a wolf on two legs) and a white rabbit for Alice, but I would like some help for the other major _Once _characters in the story; Mulan, Belle, Aurora, Hook, Philip, and Robin Hood from regular _Once _and Cyrus, the Knave and The Red Queen from _Wonderland_. The Serpent is quite obviously Jafar and I think I will use a monkey for Peter Pan (mostly because _every _existing incarnation of him spends a lot of time acting like one). One thing I will say about the Rose piercing the Dragon's armor is that it is not what the line quite obviously made you think: Blue Winter Roses. Need I remind you there's a slightly less obvious one in the current timeline and a really obscure one (though I would have to stay up all night to think of how I could do that one) in Storybrooke. Rule of prophecy people, it's never the most obvious one.  
When you read the regular chapters of this story, I would prefer you kind of imagined it like you're watching an episode of _Once _or _Wonderland _(though being a crossover with _Game of Thrones _I'm well aware it's kind of inevitable that there will be one or two things that probably wouldn't get past AB_C_'s censors), meaning that inevitably each chapter will have its flashback arc. However like how the _Ice and Fire _books are written there will be viewpoint moments however rather than viewpoint chapters they will viewpoint passages (except in the flashback arcs all flashback arcs have one viewpoint character and they mostly focus on Ned, Rhaegar, Lyanna, Cat, Elia and Robert). I was going to write them in third person like they are in the books, but after seeing how good the alternating first person in my other _Once_ crossover story (with _Lord of the Rings) Ballad of the Ten Rings, _and thought over how quite a few characters (from all three series) would sound in the first person (you know like Tyrion where every other lines a snarky remark and every third word's a foul curse) I reconsidered so I would like any opinions anyone has on that.


	2. The Forbidden Grove

CHAPTER 1: THE FORBIDDEN GROVE

_Emma _

The phone rings in the middle of the night and you're an ordinary person. Chances are it's probably the world's most polite serial killer, the police to inform of the untimely death of a loved one, or a loved to inform you they're moving in without telling you and/or want to borrow money. The phone rings in the middle of the night and you're me, Emma Swan, savior/de-facto sheriff of Storybrooke, Maine and daughter of Snow White and Prince/un-mitigated solution to everyone's problems; Chances are it's someone in town who wants me to solve a magical of theirs, a dark magical maniac to either blackmail me or threaten my life or a vampire (it hasn't happened yet but since I live with a twelve-year-old I get reminded three times a day that it's only a matter of time), or if I'm _very_ lucky one of the above three. Like most people, I rolled over in my sleep and ignored it. Once. Twice. Dear Lord, I wish my parents would stop making love so loud. Three times. How does Henry sleep through this? Four times. Why can't we get an apartment with two bedrooms? Five times. Dear, God, David and Mary Margaret can get it on. Six times. That's it, I couldn't shoot my parents, but I can shoot whoever the hell's at the door. I've always been careful about keeping a concealed weapon on me. Yes, that includes when I'm sleeping. When you get sent to the joint, you figure out some tricks of the trade. Anyway I pulled my piece and slunk to the door like a cat. Gently and slowly, I pulled it opened and prepared to shoot the bastard in the…

"Don't shoot!" It was Will Scarlett, aka, the Knave, aka, the town gambling addict. Seriously, there was not one person in town this loser didn't owe money to that he didn't have. The funny thing was, I hadn't seen him in town the past few months and I know when someone skips town in my town. Especially when I've got them down for tax evasion, "Bloody hell, sheriff, don't shoot!"

"Damn it, Scarlett!" I lowered my gun, "What are you doing back in town? Everyone thinks you skipped."

Will made a face and shrugged,

"That's bloody bullshit. I was abducted."

"Yeah, genius," I felt like laughing, "By who, aliens?"

"By me." It wasn't a voice I was familiar with. Nor was a familiar with the person it belonged to, a tall, pretty brunette with a British accent who walked slowly in accompanied by a tall Arab guy that looked like he was either a male model or gay and some blonde chick dressed in red.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Alice."

No, dear God, no.

"Alice in Wonderland?"

"Alice Kingsliegh." The look on her face, implied she got asked that question A LOT, "But yes, yes, I am. Miss Swan, we need your help."

_Henry_

Have you ever stayed awake for forty-eight hours in a row? It's not that easy. I know this because by the night we left, I had been doing that. Even when Emma heard the door bell, I was only pretending to be asleep. In actuality, I was looking at my book. The pages were changing again. I know freaky, right? I could read my book in the morning before school and then in the afternoon, there would be fifty more pages from stories I didn't know. There was a warrior with a helm that had buck's antlers, a happy family, a bride and groom on their wedding day, a boy and a girl dueling with sticks, a silver-haired princess, heavily pregnant, with a guy who looked like Conan the Barbarian running his hands over her baby bump, three beautiful eggs on a burning brazier, a tall queen dancing with a knight in shining armor, a litter of wolf pups cuddling beside a fireplace,a dark-haired girl throwing snowballs with a nerdy-looking guy; all the kinds of images you would normally see in a story book. Oh and there was this guy who had this stupid-looking crown holding hands with a knight who was pretty enough to be a girlunder the table. But as I turned further, the pictures started getting darker and scarier. There were fully colored illustrations of people burning at the stake. There was a king with long-clawed fingers sitting on a barbed throne looking down over the rest of the world with a grin like the Joker. There was beheading presided over by a boy who couldn't have been more than fifteen, but he had a smile that reminded me of the evil looking king. And there were zombie-like creatures amassing into an entire army and looking at a wall of ice like they were going to tear it down. Needless to say it gave me nightmares. Not that I could sleep that well with my grandparents going at it not three feet away. We really need our own place. Or at least a place with two bedrooms. Or maybe they need a baby. Or maybe I need headphones. Anyway I was still studying my book when I heard Emma getting up, thinking quickly I reached for my sword (it's not a traditional sword, it's wooden but it would work and started to get up myself. Slowly, I crept to the door, but it opened before I got there. On the other side was a man who reminded me of Aladdin, I could hear yelling on the first floor.  
"Who are you?" I asked him, "What's going on?"  
"I was just coming to get you, Henry." He answered, "Get your things, we don't have much time and we need to get Rumplestiltskin."  
"Where are going?"  
"On an adventure."

_Rumplestiltskin_

I have come to expect people knocking on my door in the middle of the night. It's one of the perks of being the Dark One. When people have problems with no mundane solution, I'm the one they call. Its happened more rarely since the Curse and even more rarely since the Curse broke, but it happens. After all, I'm blunt, but effective. I keep my word and I always keep my end of the bargain. Of course, I don't come cheap. In fact, I've had my fair share of lawsuits since the Curse was broken. But I've been told that my prices are nowhere near as high as one Jim Moriarty or as tedious as my predecessor, Zoso. Of course, tonight was different, I was busy. What exactly I was doing was of no importance. Annoyed by the sudden interruption, I picked myself up from my _work_.

"Who could that be at this time of night?" wondered Belle who was incidentally in my bed.  
"I'll go see." I answered matter-of-factly, "Don't leave the bed until I come back and if I don't come back in 30 minutes, there's a gun and an armory of magical weapons in the back room."  
"Rumple, do you really think you should continue…"

I made a point of leaving before she could finish that sentence. I love the girl dearly, but she really doesn't understand my work properly. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see an odd assortment of characters; there was the sheriff, her entire family, the mayor in her long black night gown, Will Scarlett, the town gambling addict, Lady Tremaine's runaway daughter, a pretty young thing dressed in pink and purple, a skinny Arab dressed in bright colors, Prince Philip, Princess Aurora, their friend, Fa Mulan, Robin Hood, his Merrymen and that no-good pirate Captain Hook.  
"To what do I owe this unwanted and very strange intrusion?"  
Never make it clear while talking to someone that you would like very much to kill them.  
"You know why." Said a voice. He was not one of the ones on the doorstep, in fact when he came in it was almost from behind my back.

"The Mad Hatter? I'm surprised to see you here." And I was. I'd heard he'd left town with his daughter after their post-Curse reunion.  
"We told him to come back." Said the dark-haired girl.  
"And who are you, dearie."  
"I'm Alice." She answered as though she was sick of being asked that question.  
Only in Storybrooke.  
"Sorry, Gold." Miss Swan gave me a pleading look, "They need _our _help and we can't do anything without you."  
I looked at Regina, "Why aren't you helping, dearie?"  
She shrugged, "It's based on magic I don't have." She came closer with that look on her face, she used to give her mother and mouthed the words; "It's Jafar." I tried to hide the fear in my eyes. Jafar is one of the few men in the world whom I fear.  
"And what, may I ask, is Jafar after?" I tried to keep my voice done as though the very thought of Jafar did not fill me with blind fear.  
"Something called the Song of Ice and Fire." Miss Swan answered, "you wouldn't know what that is, do you?"  
"Contrary." I answered, "I know everything there is to know about it."

_Snow White_

Thirty minutes later, we were all crowded around a map that Rumplestiltskin had spread out on the floor. The map was nearly two feet long. Rumplestiltskin folded back the Eastern half of the map leaving the Western half uncovered. The Western half had eight separate regions each marked by a banner. Five of the banners showed animals, but the two furthest south showed a gold rose on a green field and a sun with a spear through it, the place furthest to the north was marked by a dead man riding a horse.

"We call this world, the land of ice and fire." Rumplestiltskin explained.  
"It's a cesspit." Jefferson said matter-of-factly, "A world without kindness, hope or honor. A land without happy endings."

"So, Jafar's already done then." Said Regina, "Can we go home now or does the fate of this world depend on us?"  
"Actually," said Will, "The people in this world are that way on their own. In fact, one might argue that all the other worlds are better off if Jafar does take over."  
"So if this world, isn't worth saving why are we here?" asked Charming.  
"It _is _worth saving." Said the girl named Alice, "_Every _world is worth saving."  
"Can we just get to the point?" I asked. I hate it when people feel the need to get into petty arguments when it could mean everyone's lives are being risked.  
"Righto, dearie." Said Rumplestiltskin indicating one of the animals on the map, a wolf that was bigger than a man, "This here, is the Direwolf of House Stark, the Northern House of Ice and the first family to settle in the Northern Land of Westeros." He then pointed to another large portrait of a three-headed Dragon near an outline of a huge castle, "And this handsome devil is the Dragon representing House Targaryen who took the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and united them into one."  
"They're awesome." commented Henry with the certainty and eagerness of a twelve-year-old, "But what do they have to do with anything." Awesome wasn't the word, I'd use. All the animals looked fierce, but the eyes of the Dragon and Wolf followed you everywhere, they were like pitch.  
"Excellent question." Said Rumplestiltskin as though he'd wanted to tell this story all his life, "You see every one of these Westerosi houses have their special skills, the Lannisters (he indicated a roaring lion) have ambition and cunning. The Baratheons (he indicated a stag) are the best warriors, the Arryns (he indicated a falcon) are gifted politicians, the Tyrells (he indicated the rose) have their great beauty. But the Starks and the Targaryens each have something particularly interesting." I felt the temperature in the room go down a few degrees. "You see the Starks came from this area here." He pointed to the area furthest North area, the one represented by a dead man. "Every region in this cesspool of a world is not exactly the Enchanted Forest, but that area in particular, is for lack of a better term, a wasteland. Very few could survive, but the Starks did by taming Direwolves, entire packs of them to survive the long winter that occurred in this world and to settle Westeros."  
"But Direwolves are a prehistoric species of wolf." Said Alice surprised, "How could they possibly have tamed them?"  
"Simple, dearie." Rumplestiltskin answered, "The Starks had a special form of magic and they used that to tame the wolves. There was no other family with this sort of power," Rumplestiltskin grinned his impish grin, "Until the Targaryens arrived from…I think it's here." He folded the Eastern portion of the map back and pointed to a smallish, burned out region, "It's called Valyria, it was once a great nation, this world's Roman Empire really, but then they had a horrifying volcanic eruption followed by an outbreak of greyscale, or the Black Plague if you will. Most of the Valyrians died. But the Targaryens were always a slippery lot, you see the secret of the Valyrians' success was legendary really. Like the Northmen, they had been given a special power. Dragons were native to Valyria, you see. However, only a few families had the 'magic touch' if you will. The Targaryens were a petty house in Valyria, but they had it more than any other family and they used it to escape their terrible fate." Rumplestiltskin has always had a flare for the dramatic, and true to form, he paused.  
"Years later, one daring Targaryen lad, Aegon was his name, he climbed on his black dragon, Balerion and he conquered the Seven Kingdoms in less than a year. When Aegon and Balerion flew north, they encountered the Stark Lord and King at the time, Torrhen was his name. Torrhen and his army of Northmen and pack of one hundred Direwolves could have defeated Aegon and Balerion easily as you could shoot a bird."  
"How?" Henry interrupted, "I mean Dragons can breathe fire and _fly. _How could an army of wolves stop them?"  
"You'll learn eventually" Rumplestiltskin looked annoyed at the interruption, "But the point is Torrhen knelt."  
"And torpedoed his entire reputation well he was at it." Said Will Scarlett smirking._  
_"Yes." Rumplestiltskin agreed, "But it was worth it, because Aegon vowed to be his ally forever. The Ancient Gods of the North, The Children of the Forest saw this show of respect. They knew that the _creatures_ that lay furthest north had to depend on these magical families and thus declared that only they could remove the curse on their world, the Song of Ice and Fire."  
"Is the curse why they don't have happy endings?" asked Henry.  
"No." said Rumplestiltskin, "The Curse is their seasons can last for years, generations if unlucky enough. Which is very bad for their harvests and of course their Winters are essentially hell. Anyway, it was therefore declared that only the Starks, the Targaryens and their pets could end the Curse."  
"And then they blew it." Scarlett murmered.  
"Essentially yes." Rumplestiltskin admitted, "There was unfortunately a war a few generations after Aegon that wound up killing all the Targaryen Dragons that were still alive and that same year, the Direwolves left the Stark family."  
"Why?" asked Emma her eyes wide.  
"The usual reasons." Rumplestiltskin answered with a wave of his hand, "They'd grown greedy and power-hungry. They'd grown to lust for their power. The Targaryens inbred. And they were on opposite sides of the War."  
"The Starks and the Targaryens, you mean?" I asked.  
"No the war was _between _ two Targaryens, a half-brother and sister and the Starks, twin brothers at the time took separate sides. Besides, they were growing rather arrogant as it was. There was one king a couple generations back, Maegor, he was called, Aegon's own second son. True piece of work. Burned people alive for fun. Cut out the hearts of his wives for cheating on him. That sort of thing."Rumplestiltskin shrugged and threw up his hands, "With the Targaryens' inbreeding they were taking enough of a risk without the magic. And with the magic, the family was going from heroic conquerors to overgrown entitled, spoiled children. Meanwhile, the Starks had become divided between those who followed the family's strict code of honor and those who wished to follow the Targaryens' lead, use their powers to control the realm and those who wished to simply have a little fun. And so both families' magic began to fade away, until it was all but forgotten. But it was still there. And one day, it was said to be destined to return and gain power again. So three special children from both families could and would rise to bring the fabled Song of Ice and Fire to human control."

Now that the story was done, there was silence for a moment. Henry broke it without taking a breath,

"Okay I have three questions: 1. Why would a villain like Jafar want to control a curse that changes the weather? 2. How can this happen now that both the Starks and the Targaryens have lost their powers? And 3. What does inbreeding mean?"

"The Song of Ice and Fire doesn't just 'change the weather' as you put it." Explained Jefferson, "It can change entire climate, entire time zones, it can make time itself stop. With it, winters can last for decades, summers a life time. To gain control of it would be to a god. Hero or Villain, to have control of it would be the equivalent of being the proud owner of an atomic bomb factory."

"Unfortunately for anyone who _hopes _to control it, all magic comes with a price." Said Rumplestiltskin with a dismissive wave of his hand, "In this case the price is that Winter in this world means a visit from." He pointed to the dead man on the horse far to the North, "These creatures here. Some call these creatures 'The Others' some call them 'White Walkers'. But they are deadly and they are a big part of what the Starks and the Targaryens, the houses of Ice and Fire were chosen to defeat. But I, too would like to know an answer to Henry's second question."  
"It's all coming together now." Answered Jefferson, "Two years ago, six orphaned Direwolf pups were discovered in the North woods. A year and a half ago, Daenerys Targaryen stepped into her husband's funeral pyre and came out with three Dragons. If that's not proof enough, that same girl showed signs of being fireproof from early childhood, and all six of Eddard Stark's children showed signs of power as early as the time they were toddlers, warging (that's the ability to enter animal bodies), precognition, increased intelligence."

Rumplestiltskin was troubled this news, "I thought the prophecy wasn't supposed to come true until both families….."

"Were virtually wiped out?" asked Will Scarlett, "Surprise, surprise, most of the Targs bought it nearly two decades ago. Some misunderstanding with some broad."

"And almost every adult from House Stark has been killed in the past year." Announced Cyrus the Arab, "They were at war with the Lannisters."

Rumplestiltskin was still skeptical, "And from whom have you acquired this information."

Our new friends were silent about this for a moment, they exchanged looks and shuffled their feet before Alice finally looked Rumplestiltskin square in the face and answered: "The Caterpillar."

Rumplestiltskin shrugged dismissively: "And why, Dearie would you believe anything _he_ told you?"

The Red Queen had been virtually silent up until this point, but then she abruptly stood up, "Any information he has is at the least less out-dated then anything you could tell of this world and, besides, the Hatter confirmed almost everything. The time really is now the magic of Ice and Fire is waking up again."

That shut Rumplestiltskin up if only for a moment, he looked pensive, frightened almost.

"Rumple….." a voice from behind him called. We all turned and saw Belle standing in the doorway that separated the living area and the shop in her pajamas, "What's going on?"

That managed to somehow get him out of his trance, "Oh it's business, Belle." When she tensed he added, "Not that kind of business, in fact it's simply _my family's business. _And with our luck it will probably become _the town's _business before the week is out. And speaking of which, I do believe I'll be taking a business trip very soon, with my family and these fine folks," he gestured to the not-so-strangers, "So I need you to run the store for a few days." Belle looked like she was going to question it, but she didn't. She just nodded like he'd asked her to make dinner or take out the trash and went back to bed. I can never understand Rumplestiltskin and Belle. If Charming told me something like that, particularly in a room full of strangers, I'd literally and figuratively jump down his throat. I guess they have some kind of bizarre understanding.

"So we're helping them, then?" asked Henry apparently having forgotten his third question. Thank God.

"In case you haven't noticed, lad." His Grandfather answered, "We don't really have a choice."

"We don't?" asked Emma.

"Not if you don't want this town to be invaded by God alone knows what." Said Will Scarlett.

"Yes!" Henry punched the air in delight.

"Hold on." Regina put her hand on his shoulder, "You're not going anywhere within spitting distance of Jafar, mister."

"Oh, come on…"

"She's right, kid." Agreed Emma, "If anything happened to you I don't think any of us could forgive ourselves. Besides, you have school."

"Actually we kind of need the kid." Said Jefferson, "Or at least we need his book."

"What?" Emma and Regina said together.

"Take a look at the bloody book and you'll see." He got up and left.

Charming put his arm around me, "So what time do we leave?"

_Regina_

If there is one thing in the world that I hate more than anything else, it's getting ready for last minute trips. If you have ever had to get up in the middle of the _fucking night, _get out of bed and root through your closets to look for your socks and your shirts and a decent pair of shoes to wear on your last minute trip, you would know what I mean. Let's see, what would a person who has had at least a month to plan bring to a world like this? First aid kits are always useful. Band-aids. Tongue depressor. Thermometer. Ear thermometer. Rectal thermometer. Cough syrup. Snakebite kit. Dogbite kit. Bugbite kit. Wolfbite kit. Dragonbite kit. Burn kit. Humanbite kit. What else? Emergency zombie poison. Sleeping potion. Temporary blinding potion. Granola bars. Hiking boots. Tooth brush. Tooth paste. Dental floss. Hair brush. Disinfectant wipes. Fifty bottles of hand sanitizer. Bottled water. Bottled wine. Leftover pizza. Sandwiches in plastic bags. Three books: _Robinson Crusoe, War and Peace _and an over-sized Ken Follett novel called _Pillars of the Earth. _(I'd just bring an E-Reader like a normal person, but I'm going to a world where I won't have access to plugs of any kind). Tampons. Daddy's prized chess set (never leave home without it). Mother's emergency poison bag. (Can't forget that). Changeable money. And here came the tricky part. Clothes. This may or may not come off as a surprise, I am the Evil Queen after all, but I happen to be one of those women who feels the need to pack _at least_ as many clothes as she can carry on _any _trip she goes on. I'm also one of those women who take several minutes choosing which clothes to bring. In the end, I wound up choosing eight of my best dresses, my favorite riding clothes, and ten sets of the peasant clothes I used to wear to have fun. I had to ask my stepdaughter's husband and Prince Philip to carry my trunk of my house.

"What's in here, Regina, the Crown Jewels?" Charming complained, his face as red as a beet.

"What's in there could save our lives." I answered. He can truly be an empty-headed fool sometimes, "And don't drop that, my father's chess set is in there."

"Is the chess set made of solid gold?" Philip looked even more mortified than Charming.

"If I were to tell you that I'd have to kill you."

We had all met outside of Gold's Pawn Shop. He was wearing old peasant clothes and carrying his map of the world of Ice and Fire. Jefferson was standing beside, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other as though there was something, he wasn't telling us. Typical Jefferson.

"Okay." He said slowly, "There is a little bit of a hitch with all this…something I didn't exactly mention before…."

"Just get one with it!" shouted the burly man who was the head of Robin Hood's soldiers. Little John, I think they call him. He was a big man, with a big belly and a long beard. The nickname must have been a matter of irony. Whether his nickname was serious or not, I was most certainly on his side about this.

"What are not telling us, Jefferson?"

He threw up his hands in a somewhat feminine gesture, "Fine. We need two separate missions for this to work. Happy?"

See? Typical Jefferson. It's like dealing with a twelve-year-old sometimes. Scratch that. It's an insult to Henry's intelligence. It's like dealing with a _five_-year-old sometimes.

"Why do we need two missions?" asked Miss Swan with a dumbstruck look on her face.

"Well it's complicated…." Jefferson began but when he saw all the annoyed faces looking at him he finally realized that it was time to stop beating around the bush, "While we need to get to the Stark and Targaryen kids before Jafar and his goons do, there is also something that needs to be obtained in the King's Landing royal court that is just as crucial to controlling the Song of Ice and Fire as the Children in question."

Well, naturally, everyone was pissed out of their minds about this. In fact, Charming almost dropped my trunk: "And you just planned to tell us this now!"

"I was going to….." Jefferson explained.

"Jefferson!" We all really were that pissed.

"Fine." He shrugged his shoulders, "I thought that we could talk about this when we landed."

"When we landed?" The Red Queen was incredulous, "I was worrying my head off about what would happen _when we landed. _Do you have _any _idea how long I spent wondering how long I could be on the run before Jafar hunted Will and me down? Do you have any _fucking _idea the kind of debts we owe? And now you say we need to go on _two _missions. One of which just so happens to involve stealing from a Royal Court that Jafar could easily align himself with?"

Oh, great. The Evil Queen has become the Peace Keeper. What is the world coming to?

"Look, everyone." I said in my most serious voice, "This sudden…..change, doesn't mean that we can sit around arguing about the fact that Jefferson talks in riddles. We have to complete the mission. So who wants to hunt down this world's saviors?"

Miss Swan threw up her hands, "I know for a _fact_ that I'll make a terrible mentor, but if anyone should be tracking saviors, it should probably be me."

The girl Alice took out her sword and began to clean it like it had blood on it, or something, "I promised I'd bring Houses Stark and Targaryen back to power. I'm not going back on my word."

Her boyfriend Cyrus was the next to step forward, "I'll stand by you, Alice."

The Knave shrugged, "Don't twist my arm. I'll come camping as long as you two don't snog in front of me."

The last member of their group was the Red Queen, but before she could say anything, Hook stepped in with his swaggering smile, "Don't anyone worry, and I'll look after the savior."

That prompted Rumple's son Baelfire/Neal Cassidy to step forward, "_I'll_ look after Emma."

"I'm more suited to fighting rogue soldiers than court." Said Robin Hood, "My Merrymen belong on this quest."

"Okay then." I said, "Now who wants to go to court." I raised my hand, "I'm sorry, but I hate camping and I'm really not the kind of person saviors would respect."

"I think I'll take the Royal Court too, Dearie." Said Rumple, "There's so much more for the Dark One to do in a decadent court than helping saviors."

"I'll go too." Said Snow, "I want to learn the Art of the Deal and I want to see how these people live."

"If she's going, then I'm going." Said Charming in his most certain voice.

The Red Queen thought for moment, before saying, "I'm sorry to report that I'm going to Court as well. Somehow, I feel that one of us has to."

"What? No!" shouted the Knave as though she'd said that she wanted an abortion.

The Red Queen smiled at him, "Don't worry, Will. I'm not going to replace you. Not again."

He didn't look very convinced. There was a brief silence, before Jefferson broke it.

"What about the boy?"

"Well that's simple." I said, "He's safest with us."

I thought that would settle the argument, but Miss Swan, of course, disagreed and we were soon yelling very loudly and virtually inaudible before Henry suddenly asked, "Do I get a choice in this?"

"No!" We finally had _something _we could agree on. He ignored us.

"Because I want to see the Dragons."

Jefferson grinned, "Well, that's settled then.."

He whistled and, I am not lying out of the ground came a rabbit in a waistcoat.

"I'm not late am I?" he asked.

"No sir." Said Jefferson, "You take this crowd (he gestured to the group that was going to help the saviors) to Dragonstone. I'll take the other half to King's Landing."

"Righto." Said the White Rabbit. The hat was down, the hole was dug and that's how we left Storybrooke.

Eighteen years earlier. The Tower of Joy.

_For a mere moment, Eddard Stark wanted to honestly believe that all of this was a horrible dream. That his father and his eldest brother were back at home waiting for him instead of murdered in blood cold as ice by the Mad King. That Prince Rhaegar and his entire family were still alive and well and getting ready for Rhaegar's ascension to the Iron Throne. And that Lyanna was back at home preparing for her marriage to his closest friend Robert Baratheon. _But she didn't want to marry Robert. _Ned thought. That was part of the reason that all of this had happened after all. Many women had wanted Robert. But not Lyanna. Lyanna didn't want things other girls did. She never had. And Robert had never understood her kindness, her gift, her connection to her horse and her hound, or anything about her really, apart from her wild beauty._

"_My lord." The voice of the newly knighted Lord Howland Reed of Greywater Watch stirred Ned out of his reverie, "I can help you get her ready to go home."_

"_Yes." Ned answered softly, "Yes. Good thinking, _Lord _Reed." _

"_Thank you, my lord." Howland grinned at Ned through his gapped teeth. He was a good, kind man, but little more than a boy. He was the kind of man Lyanna would have married; intelligent, kind, brave, in tune with nature and honest. Honest to a fault. That had been one of things about Lyanna that Robert had understood the least. He'd always said that it reminded him too much of his brother, Stannis. Ned tried his hardest not to think about it. With Howland's help, he picked up Lyanna's body and carried it, slowly, but reverently to a nearby cart. _

"_What did she tell you?" Howland asked Ned when they were done wrapping up his sister's body, "Before she died." _

"_What?" Ned looked gave him a good, long look._

"_She had one more prophecy. She insisted that you were the only one who she could tell it to. So what was it?"_

_In the end, Ned decided to tell him the two least complicated parts of the Prophecy: "I will have two sons in three days and Queen Rhaella will give birth to a daughter." _

"_She always said that there would be one more child for the queen." Howland said calmly, "She said it all this time."_

"_What do you suppose I do now?" Ned asked him slowly, the boy was young but he was wise beyond his years. _

"_Find the girl. Take her back to Winterfell and raise her as your ward alongside your twins. That is what Lyanna told you do isn't it?"_

_Ned nodded, "Yes, but my sons will not be twins."_

_Now it was Howland Reed's turn not to understand something, "What?"_

"_The Maester said that Cat was pregnant with a single child."_

"_Maesters aren't always right." That had been one of Lyanna's favorite phrases. _

"_Howland, you don't understand." Ned answered, "I have made a terrible mistake."_

_Present Day, Kingslanding_

_Rumplestiltskin_

There is one unspoken rule about survival in the Royal Court. In any Royal Court. Don't get too ambitious. If you try to climb too high, physics alone dictates that you are destined to fall. It's safer to stay on the bottom. No one notices you on the bottom. If they want to find someone to watch, they look for someone who's in a place where they really don't belong. That's something you just so happen to learn as the Dark One. It's useful information and it can help you survive. If you're careful. That's why when we landed in the beautiful city of Kingslanding, I declined to go along with the charade the Mad Hatter came up with.  
"We were lent clothes and a sigil from House Martell of Dorne." He explained, "All of you will enter into the city posing members of that specific house and their household. The Martells are one of the few families in Westeros who are aware of the very _existence_ of the Song of Ice and Fire. Let alone its awesome power, so they agreed to travel to the East to give our friends and saviors a little bit of a hand. So you will attend the wedding in their stead. The Martells are a rich, desert-dwelling family, their words are _Unbent, Unbound, Unbroken, _their current lord is Doran Nymerio Martell who is in his early fifties and suffers from a form of muscular dystrophy in the lower legs_._" He looked at me.

"No." I said.

Jefferson was incredulous, "Why not?"

"For one thing, I've _met _Lord Doran. He needs more than a cane. He hasn't been able to walk since his first son was born." I grinned at him, "And second, I've got something else in mind. Something less extravagant."

That was how I found my way into the Baratheon Royal Court limping like a beggar behind what was disguised as the Martell family. Regina was walking at the head. She was disguised as Lady Arianne Martell, Lord Doran's daughter, oldest child and heir. Beside her, Snow White clearly displaying her bow, arrows, and dagger, she was disguised as Arianne's cousin, Obara Sand, bastard daughter of Doran's younger brother, Oberyn. Behind them walked Prince Charming and a mysterious masked man who the Hatter had "Found" to help us. Charming was disguised as Obara's bodyguard/lover Ser Davit Shepherd, or the Sheepdog Knight, a former shepherd boy who was knighted by Prince Doran for saving the lives of his flock during the raid on the Tower of Joy. Of course, Ser Davit and everything about him were inventions of the Hatter. The masked man was the Faceless Knight, Lady Arianne's bodyguard. I think that he could have been legitimate. Also with them was Prince Philip who was disguised as Ser Davit's squire, Philrick Toland, Princess Aurora who was Arianne's handmaiden, Aura, and the Red Queen who was bringing up the rear as Oberyn's third eldest bastard daughter, Tyene. She was also moonlighting as a whore in Flea Bottom, albeit transformed into a redhead. I was trailing behind and taking a good look at everything that had changed since my last visit to Kingslanding. Taking one look, it was pretty clear that calling this place the "Baratheon" Royal Court was a major error in naming. Everything I could see here was Lannister. There were Lannister lion banners. And Lannister lion tapestries. Everything was bathed in Lannister red and Lannister gold. Even young King Joffrey sitting above everyone else on the barbed Iron Throne, and his younger brother Prince Tommen sitting lower beside his mother, Dowager Queen Cersei had the straight blond hair and deep green eyes of the Lannisters. Her brother, Jaime stood beside her, he was looking different from the arrogant Kingsguard boy I remembered from all those years ago. His hair had been cut short, his face was gaunt and silent looking, and he was missing a hand.

Calmly he announced to his sister, nephews, brother (Tyrion Lannister, the Imp, I hadn't realized was a...little person) father (Lord Tywin who didn't look different at all), and several visiting Lords including his to be in-laws the Tyrells, "Lady Arianne Martell." Her majesty stepped forward and offered her hand to the King. Boredly he took it and kissed it and then made a face like he'd swallowed something rotten. Maybe it was the hand sanitizer

"So your father couldn't make it." Cersei directed the question to Regina.

"No, he's ill." Regina answered, "and he heard that my mother was coming."

Cersei pursed her lips, "Your mother hasn't been back to Westeros since she left your father."

"I told him that." Was Regina's response, "But Daddy just wanted to make sure. For the record, I'd appreciate it very much if Ser Davit could share a bedroom with Obara. She gets jumpy when he's not around."

"Well I suppose there's no reason for a _bastard_ not to fuck a _hedge knight_ like a _common whore." _Ironically enough that wasn't from any of the Lannisters, but the fat and arrogant Mace Tyrell, father of the bride.

The Charmings nearly blew the entire bloody game by stepping forward with their respective weapons, each in defense of the other. Mace's daughter, Margery smiled in a such disarming manner she almost calmed then.

"Please forgive father." She said in a voice that could have belonged to the sweetest girl in the world, "He's still bitter because of Willas' accident years ago."

"As you remember, it was an _accident." _Answered Regina. As they were leaving I chose to make my entrance.

"Excuse me." I called out, "I understand that you were in need of a tailor for the wedding." I was not just limping like a beggar. I was leaning on my cane and dressed up like the poor tailor I had been long before I was ever the Dark One.

Tywin's nose curled, "It's seven days until the wedding and my daughter has had twenty tailors executed and another seventeen sent to the Night's Watch. What makes you think that a common weaver like yourself would up to the task?"

Really? I thought being a bridezilla was the _bride's _job. That is why they added the bloody word.

"Well?" I began, "I have certain _gifts _with the needle." And with that I began to weave a long gown in the Lannister colors of red and gold. Happily I flourished it at the Dowager Queen, "For you, my lady. For another thing, I have _other gifts _as well." I reached into the young prince's ear and pulled out a kitten.

"Well it seems that you do have certain skills." Said the Queen, impressed, "What is your name, ser?"

"Rumplestiltskin, my lady." I answered, ""

I grinned at Tywin. I had secured the job, but I think he had his suspicions. Let him have them, I was still smarter than him anyhow.

_Tyrion_

One more week. One more fucking week and it will all be over. That little cunt Joffrey will be married to Margery Tyrell and there will be no more random arguments between my sister and my father. No more passive aggressive pissing matches between my father and the Queen of Thorns, or my sister and Margery Tyrell, or the gods-alone-know-who and fuck-if I-care. No more people getting arrested for completely and utterly mad reasons. My sister has had twenty tailors executed in the past three days and sent another seventeen to the Night's Watch. Honestly, I thought bitching about the gowns was Margery's job. The only thing that really keeps me going is my cup of wine. Sweet, sweet wine! Of course _that _was when my very much enjoyed drinking was interrupted by my sister randomly bursting into my room. She was drunk of course. Cersei was often drunk these days. And of course she was ranting and raving.  
"What is it again?" I asked, pretending to care.

"_Where is my corset?"_

"Fuck if I know."

"_Well, it's normally you who does these things."_

"Once when I was twelve. " my head was on my desk, "I've been here most of the day, dear sister please bother someone else about this." Thankfully she left after that. Shae was looking at me like this was one of the worst things she'd put me through. My pretty young wife, Sansa Stark looked utterly surprised, which since the untimely death of her mother and brother made for a welcome change. Bronn, however, was grinning like a fool.  
I shrugged, "Sorry about that."

Unfortunately, that was when Podrick had to come in with the announcement, "My Lord you're wanted in the small council chamber." My head hit the table again.

"Tell them I died, Pod."

One more fucking week.

Of course, Pod very well couldn't tell them I died. So I attended my father and Varys and Joffrey and Grand Maester Pycelle in the Small Council Chamber. I decided to make the most of the situation by complaining about the fact that the King's mother I was running the halls of the Red Keep half naked. It turns out Joffrey for once had similar ideas.

"She's dishonoring me." He complained, "I want her brought to task. Can't we put her in the Black Cells or something?"

"She is your mother, Your Grace." Answered Varys, "You have to show her at least some respect." That wasn't the kind of answer, Joffrey wanted.

"She's running through the rooms of my castle, half naked."

My father slapped his forehead, "She did madder things when she married King Robert, Your Grace."

That I can testify to promptly, when she married Robert, Cersei locked Jaime and me in the Black Cells after talking us into exploring them in an overly enthusiastic manner. Father took over an hour to find presumably to punish us all even though Jaime and I had not really done anything wrong.

"With all due respect, father, I think that the King actually has a point this time…." I said, "If we could just confine Cersei to her chambers…" I was interrupted when a very young servant boy randomly entered. He was a tall handsome boy with golden brown curls and bright green eyes and he was about Joffrey's age. Pushing a broom he said, "Don't mind me, milords. I'm just cleaning up. Continue losing your war." He was brave boy, but he was clearly either very stupid, or very mad.

Joffrey stood up his face, flaming, "What?"

The servant boy shrugged, "Well, everyone knows that you only won against Robb Stark because the Freys killed him and against Stannis because your uncle and grandfather won _that _fight for you."

That was the wrong thing to say to Joffrey. In less than a moment he was on the boy.

_Sansa_

Margery Tyrell is so much prettier than I am. She is also much smarter and braver, I am glad that she is marrying Joffrey instead of me. One word and Margery seems to have his Grace wrapped around her little finger. Of course, if I had Joffrey wrapped around my little finger, I wouldn't just make him be civil to me. I would make him be kind and wise and brave to everyone great and small just like I used to think he was and just as a king should be. I used to think that Margery was like-minded. But then I saw the way she acted when she saw Joffrey with the servant boy. I was with Margery when we came upon the Small Council Meeting where Joffrey was having the poor boy beaten by two of his Kingsguard (I think it was Ser Boros and Ser Meryn, it almost always is) just like he used to have them beat me. I really couldn't help myself, I clutched Margery's hand with my strongest grip.

"Don't be afraid, darling." She told me and she went over to speak to Joffrey. I thought she was going to defend the poor boy. After all, his crime was probably only saying something to Joffrey, that Joffrey did not like to hear and servant boys are to be forgiven of such things because they don't know any better than to be jealous when they meet a king who is of age with them. I hoped that Margery could make Joffrey see that.

"Your Grace," This is why Margery is wiser than I am. She knows that His Grace is a selfish and arrogant monster, yet she knows to make him be kind. He looked like a blushing village boy when he heard Margery's voice, I don't recall Joffrey ever looking like that to me.

"Lady Margery. I was just having my guards teach this servant boy respect. He walked into a Small Council meeting and started spewing lies."

I was sure that Margery would tell Joffrey that the boy only misspoke himself because he was envious and envy is the way boys show respect. While I have four brothers and she only has one, Margery probably knows that just as I do. After all, Ser Loras and Lord Renly were such good friends.

Instead Margery smiled at Joffrey and said, "As is your right, Your Grace. I was hoping to speak to about the singer for our wedding….."

The singer! Her husband to be was unfairly abusing his subjects and she talked of the wedding singer. And when I learned that Margery always brought toys to the orphanage, I thought she cared about the smallfolk as much as my mother. It was then an unexpected wave of courage overcame me, and I walked over to the broken fallen boy while Joffrey and Ser Boros and Ser Meryn were distracted (I am quite sure now that it was them. Who else could it have possibly been?) and helped him to his feet.

"Did he hurt you very badly?"

He was a handsome boy, almost as beautiful with Joffrey with golden brown curls and emerald green eyes. I remember thinking that Bran would look like this boy with darker hair, had he lived to reach fifteen. He wiped the blood from his nose and shrugged.

"I'm used to it. I just came here from Flea Bottom. Everyone beats everyone down there. It's how you survive. Here, everyone beats you from the cook to the master at arms." He smiled a gallant, smile, a hero's smile, "It doesn't help that I'm a dirty little thief."

I was surprised, he seemed so kind, so chivalrous, "You're a thief."

The boy smiled his hero smile again, "I steal food to feed myself and the other boys. It's the whole reason I got this job. Name's Petyr. Petyr Pan, they call me, because I work in the kitchens."

Petyr was Lord Baelish's name. I had to admire his mother's valiance. Most lowborn women would have named him, Pate, like Spotted Pate the Pig Boy. Not something so bold as Petyr.

"It's good to meet you, Ser Petyr." I said, "My name is Lady Sansa of House Stark."

"I know." He said, "Everyone knows who you are. And I'm not a Ser. I'm proud of what your father did. Someone should give that King Joffrey a good thrashing."

I was surprised by Petyr's boldness. "My father was a traitor. My mother and brother were….traitors too."

"That's what they say." Petyr answered wiping the blood from his nose, "But you and I know the truth and I always speak the truth."

"I will take you to my friend." I told him after thinking over his words, "She will help treat your wounds."

_Petyr Pan_  
I was quite happy to have impressed Sansa Stark so easily. I'd heard that she was easy meat, but I most certainly hadn't expected her to take me straight to Lord Tyrion's whore to have my wounds healed. What could she have possibly gained from all this? In the end, I'd decided that it was must have been because she wanted to fuck me. After all, I am quite the catch. A lot better than an ugly lecherous dwarf. That's one of the best things about staying a child forever. You can fuck all you want and you don't wind up with a pink, naked, squirming larva that eats away at money and dreams. And if you do it's not like the girl will want to keep it. So you can just drop it at a brothel and no one will ever think it was yours and maybe the whores will keep it. Anyway, now that I had my first target on a string, I was willing to play her correctly. So I let the whore heal my wounds while I bragged to Sansa about how I wasn't always going to be a pathetic street kid or a fawning servant boy. Oh no, I was going to be a knight. No one would push me, or my boys around then. It seemed to be exactly what she wanted to hear.

But then she asked me something that surprised me, "Who is your mother, Petyr?"

"My mother." The best lies have some truth in them, "She was no one. Just a whore. She died when I was four. The madam told me to get the fuck out of the brothel."

Speaking of whores, the one who was treating my wounds poured some kind of stinging, foul smelling liquid on my arm. I gave an exaggerated moan of pain.

The whore didn't waver, "Let it work."

"You were four years old."

Despite my false moan of pain, I tried to look brave, "I learned how to survive."

"What about your father?" She was persistent.

"Don't know who he was." I shrugged, "Mum never told me."

She squeezed my hand in a gentle manner that almost seemed like love. Or it would, if love wasn't for the weak and a fantasy. The door opened and the dwarf entered with his squire and his cutthroat.

"Hello, beautiful wife and shining handmaiden." The dwarf said cheerfully kissing Sansa on the cheek. Then he saw me. I could see the disapproval on his face. I was used to getting those sorts of look from adults. That horrid blacksmith I used to work for used to give them to me all the time. I wanted to make a face at him like a petulant child to show that I didn't give a fuck what he thought of me.

But instead I smiled and said, "It's good to meet you, sir."

"I know you." The dwarf said, "You're that servant boy who told my nephew to go fuck himself."

"I'm sorry for that sir, but I won't apologize to the king."

"No need." The dwarf answered, "I'm glad that that little cunt gotten some criticism. It's good for him is what it is."

"Thank you, sir." I said respectfully.

"Petyr wants to be a knight." Sansa announced.

"Well, then I wouldn't recommend mouthing off to Joffrey then." Said the Dwarf, "For your sake, I hope that someone poisons him. Tommen will probably knight you for putting his brother in his place."

"I hope so, sir." I got up, "I'd better get back to the kitchens."

"Maybe you shouldn't." said Sansa, "You're really hurt."

"Pish." I answered, "I'll walk it off." As I left, I grinned my most devilish grin and took the Queen's corset from my pocket.

"That was a foolish move back there." I turned it was Varys.

"Just a bit of fun." I answered, "You should thank me, Spider."

"I would prefer to use the Song of Ice and Fire to cast that boy down." He answered, "Him and Stannis too. Both of them will oppress the Realm, but in different ways. Lord Jafar wants to see you."

"I hoped he would." I answered, "Do you think he'll like my costume? I based it on him."

"Just come with me Lord Pan." He answered unimpressed, "You know Lord Jafar doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Alright, alright. But you should watch your step, Spider. I don't like taking orders from Lost Boys."

_Dragonstone_

_Cora_

Jafar likes to think himself the leader of our outfit. In the _de facto _sense, I suppose he is. He does come up with all the plans, I don't bother with and he also finds all the people, I can't be bothered to socialize with. He's also more powerful than I am. And he knows it. But, in reality, he'd still in that lamp, if it wasn't for my intervention. In all fairness, if not for his intervention, I'd still be dead. Alright, I wasted my breath admitting it. Is everyone happy now? Anyway this particular endeavor was _my _plan. Did Jafar bother to credit me for it? The answer is no. I've had my eye on the Song of Ice and Fire, almost as long as Rumplestiltskin had his eye on the Dark Curse. But after, I freed him from his lamp, Jafar had the gall to tell Cruella De Ville and Ursula the Sea Witch and Maleficent and my own fucking bastard daughter and Peter fucking Pan while he was at it, that it was his idea. He also recruited not one, not two, not three, but _four _rogues behind my back. This mission was _my _coup de grace, and what does that ungrateful towel-head do? My ninth symphony. My Dark Curse. He hijacks it like. You can never trust other villains these days. He didn't bother to consider that when he let the rogues in either. The Jabberwocky, unsettling as she is, I get. She's ruthless, pitiless and she gets the job done right. But we could definitely do without the Eunuch. Pan can claim he's on his side to his heart's content. But any halfwit can tell he's a lying scumbag. And he's weak. He's clearly weak. Any halfwit can also tell that the Red Priestess is a loose cannon in dire need of tempering and my bastard daughter, Zelena, well the only value I see in her is to spite me.

Well, anyway, Pan was late as usual. Thank Heaven, that idiot Stannis Baratheon and his wife were trapped in some sort of marital spat. Otherwise we'd have to figure out how to keep this stupid meeting hidden. Which would be rather hard, because my bastard daughter has a habit of throwing temper tantrums. Regina was never this bad. Did I mention that her only value is to give Jafar something to use to spite me.

"Where the devil, is Pan?" he was complaining for the fifth time while he paced around his ridiculously unfashionable robe, "And where's Varys?"

"Probably getting Pan." I answered, "You know how that boy values his undercover act."

"I should have never allowed you to let the arrogant little man-child in on this plan."

"Why?" I asked, "Unlike half of these other idiots, he follows orders, he doesn't ask questions. Oh, and did I mention he's never been defeated not even once?"

"He's a rogue." Jafar answered.

"And half of the idiots you recruited aren't?" I counted them off on my fingers, "So far, the Jabberwocky has done all two things that weren't completely counterproductive keep her (I gestured to my bastard daughter who was in the midst of a childish argument with Ursula and Cruella) in line and get my laundry. The Eunuch is so very clearly weak that it's pathetic that Pan thinks he can be trusted at all. The Red Priestess is a lobotomy waiting to happen and as for her…."

"I can do it." Zelena screeched like a beaten puppy, "I can do it. You know I can."

"Right," Cruella answered rolling her eyes, "You'll find this special spell. Open your eyes, darling, we don't even know what it is yet."

"I don't care I can do it." Zelena wailed , "I don't care what it is, I can do it."

"Right." Cruella shrugged, "I'm just curious to know what this brilliant plan and this oh-so-very-important spell is."

"Not until Pan and Varys get here." Jafar answered.

"Is that really necessary?" I asked, "They already know all about what we're doing here."

"I need them here, so I can make everyone's responsibilities perfectly clear."

"Pan and Varys get to know." Zelena threw her hands up, "How come Pan and Varys to know and I don't."

"Dear, gods, Zelena." Complained Maleficent, "Of course they know more about it than we do. They're _from _here."

"Fine." Zelena answered, "Just so long as I get to uncover the spell."

"You know, Ursula." Cruella said, "Since she won't shut up about the fucking spell, I think I'll volunteer to procure just to annoy her."

"Maybe, I'll procure it just to get you two to shut up." Responded Ursula.

"That magic is the work of Lord of Light." Objected Melisandre. "All of you are unworthy of it's power."

"I will set this room on fire," threatened Maleficent.

"Hello everyone." Said a voice. The door opened and Peter Pan and Varys stepped in.

"You're both late." Said Jafar, "Now let's _finally _begin."

"Do you like my costume, Lord Jafar?" asked Pan.

"Let's begin."

"But I based it on you."

"_Silence." _Jafar said solemnly, "Let's begin."

_Ursula_

Now that we were finally all together, Lord Jafar tapped his staff to the floor and a projection appeared. It showed a large red three-headed dragon and an equally large silver wolf leaping together into a vat of frozen fire.

"I give you." Lord Jafar said softly, "The most powerful curse in nine realms. The Song of Ice and Fire."

"Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice, From what I taste of desire, I hold with those who favor fire, But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say that for destruction ice, is also great, and would suffice." Said Cruella in a singsong voice. We all looked at her.

"What?" she said defensively, "It's an old Frost poem, Mother and Daddy were fond of."'

"Is that what we're dealing with?" asked Mal, "Power that could end the world?"

"If we're lucky." Lady Cora answered with a flourish, "You see this curse has a part of this world since the days of the Long Night when the White Walkers attacked willy-nilly over the countryside. When the war was finally brought to a close by the brave, King Brandon Stark the first and his two animal companions, the Direwolf, Ice and the Dragon, Fire, the Night's King lay a curse on this world. This curse makes it so every season can last for something between a year and one thousand years, plunging the kingdom into darkness. By the decree of the thirteenth Greenseer, Brandon Stark the tenth, only Brandon's distant descendants, the Starks of Winterfell and the Targaryens of Old Valyria could free this world from its prison. This decision was made in the year of Aegon's Conquest when he and King Torrhen vowed to sit together in friendship as fellow masters of Beast, Aegon as the King and Torrhen as the Hand and law bringer and thus Westeros was united. Two generations, later, both families' powers were…revoked."

"So how does this help us, now?" I asked.

"It is the will of the Lord of Light," Melisandre chanted, "That the powers are born within them again."

"Eddard Stark's five youngest children, the four younger ones and the bastard and the dead one too," explained Lord Jafar, "They have Direwolves again and young Daenerys Targaryen has awakened Dragons."

"So?" asked Cruella.

"It means that the time is right." Lady Cora answered, "And that the War for the Dawn is about to begin. Once it commences, we will bring Daenerys and the surviving Stark children here, along with their pets and the Song of Ice and Fire will be ours. We'll be able to freeze deserts and oceans and bring entire worlds to their knees."

"And the Lord of Light will finally cast out the false Gods." Melisandre crooned, "And all worlds will be illuminated."

"Where do we come in?" asked Zelena, "I can get it for you."

"Oh, really?" asked Lady Cora, "So which would you like do first? Pan's already handling the older girl."

Pan grinned mischievously, "She's putty in my hands she is." He said proudly.

"So would you like to track the little one to the Vale, traipse around the country looking for the younger girl, follow the cripple beyond the Wall, join Lord Stannis and Lady Melisandre at the Wall with the bastard, or go across the ocean to track dragons."

"Any of them." Zelena crooned.

Lady Cora turned to Lord Jafar, "We should very likely start with getting little Dany, away from her slave-freeing side missions."

"I'll handle that." Jafar answered, "We'll need to talk with Lord Stannis, but I'll handle it. Maleficent, you come with me. Your particular talents could be needed for this."

I half-expected Cora to get into a shouting match with him. They're like ten-year-olds. They argue about everything. Or maybe an old married couple, considering that they remind me of my parents from time to time. Except they don't like each other. They really, really, don't like each other at all. They don't just pretend to not like each other. They hate each other. I don't like, or trust either of them. Jafar is so sadistic, there are times I practically expect him to twirl that black mustache of his, when he turns some poor idiot to dust. And Cora is such a control freak, there are times that I think she should be speaking German.

"Ursula," she indicated to me, "We need someone watching the ships for when we have this handled. Cruella, you handle the younger girl and the Hound. That should very likely kill two birds with one stone. The Jabberwocky, myself, and…." She reluctantly looked at Zelena, "Will accompany Lord Stannis and Lady Melisandre to the Wall which should lead us to both the Bastard and the Cripple."

Typical, I got the low level assignment. It's my fault for being water-based, but they probably should have sent Cruella to the Wall too. She's at least as crazy Zelena, and will kill just as easily as Melisandre. I had to ask the following question, "If the Starks and the Targaryens are the essential parts of the Curse then where does Mr. Personality come in."

"The Lord of Light needs a king." Melisandre answered, "Stannis Baratheon was needed to make a sacrifice."

_Marya _

"Where is he?" my beloved Davos does not know this, but I have never trusted Stannis Baratheon. Not in the least and certainly not his Red Woman, nor his ugly wife either.

"Where is who?" big-eared Lady Selyse asked as though I'd asked to produce the fucking mother of Dragons.

"My husband, you arrogant self-righteous cow!" Sometimes, I can be civil to Baratheons. Today is not one of those days. In fact, those days are over. "Your Red Priestess has murdered my son and now that dour idiot you call a husband is holding my husband hostage."

"Matthos died for his faith in the Red God."

"Matthos is one-quarter northerner." I said, "He was brought up to believe in the Old Gods. And then your burning bitch fed him the lies of a false god."

"You fed him the lies of false gods."

"Real gods don't need all the other gods to die."

"This is blasphemy." She looked like she was going to call the guards when a door opened. Out came Stannis Baratheon and my husband.

"Marya." Davos tried to come to me, but I pushed him off.

"What are you doing here?" Stannis Baratheon asked me.

"I lost my eldest son to your Red Priestess."

He frowned his dour frown, "It was the Lannisters that killed Matthos."

"He wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her." I said, "Do you know why no one wants you as their king. It's not because you killed your little brother who was much a pawn, to the Tyrells, as you are the priestess. Part of the reason it's her. No one in these parts believes in her false and cruel god and everyone who does in Essos is feared by everyone else. And yet for your 'birthright' you're willing to force him on all of the Seven Kingdoms. And Davos tells me that you don't believe in _any gods at all._ Another reason is your reputation here. It's one thing to castrate rapists and maybe you do deserve to be seen as a hero for that, but you also cut off the hands of men who steal loafs of bread to feed their families and the tongues out of people who call for the old Targaryen rulers because the last ones to have this island helped them plant their foods and earn their daily bread while you tax them out of house and home. The alternative is to send them all to the Wall, where they can't feed their families at all and you don't reward them for feeding their families because of course that something they have to earn 'honestly'. The fact you stole this chapter from a sickly pregnant queen, her eight-year-old son and her premature born babe who you were all-to-willing to kill if it not for Lord Eddard and you and this plain-faced fox of yours like to think that _you _were the cheated ones. And what for?"

"It…is…my…..duty, woman."

"Your duty?"

"To Robert. As Robert's rightful heir."

"You mean to the spoils of your brother's selfish war to reclaim a bride who didn't want to be found and the Mad King to get back at his treacherous son and unwanted vassals." The look on his face showed that I had hit close to the truth, "A King's Duty. _His first and only_ Duty is to what is best for his people. All of his people. That's why even some of the smallfolk on lands whose lords are loyal to brother call him 'Usurper'. That is why, in my opinion, your brother, and by extension, you, is and will always be nothing more than a Usurper."

"Marya, please." Davos began.

"I'm sorry." I said, "I've said my piece, Davos Seaworth. And now I'm taking Lina and Brenna and the younger children and leaving Westeros. It is time for you to choose. Your family, or Stannis Baratheon. I will not let your duties conflict anymore"

And then I left.

Eighteen years earlier, Dragonstone

_The Dowager Queen, Rhaella Targaryen lay in deep and tortured agony on her bed in Dragonstone. She was covered in sweat, blood, and urine. Her eldest son was dead, killed for a crime he could never have committed. Her daughter-in-law was also dead and both of her son's sweet babes. Her husband was dead too, but she did not weep for him. The mouse does not weep for the death of the cat. There holding her hand was her youngest son, her favorite child, Viserys. _

"_It's time milady." That was her midwife. Holding Rhaella's other hand was her sister, Gerda. Gerda was also heavily with child, she stood there, holding the hand of her daughter, Elsa who had inherited the icy blue eyes of their mother and the white Targaryen hair. _

"_Cut the cord then." Commanded Viserys. He was only eight years old. He only just barely understood what was going on. He knew that he was king, even though he didn't want to be._

"_Is Auntie going to die, mother?" asked Elsa. She wasn't to be expected to understand either. She was only three. _

"_No, honey." Answered Gerda, "She's only going to have a baby and you're going to have another little sister to play with."_

_Rhaella smiled, it was best to let the children believe that._

_The younger midwife stood outside on the pier. She spoke three deep resounding words, her body opened up and she raised her hands to the sky, proclaiming the glory of her god. _

Riverrun

"_Breathe, in, Catelyn." Maester Luwin gripped her hand._

"_Don't tell her to breathe." That was her sister, Lysa. Lysa was screaming louder than anyone. _

"_It is really coming now." That was her brother, Edmure. He didn't understand properly. He was only thirteen after all._

"_Shut up!" Lysa screamed._

_However, Cat did not scream. She breathed in and pushed. _

_Maester Luwin cut the cord.  
"It's a healthy boy."_

_The baby had reddish brown hair and Ned's deep gray eyes._

"_Robb." Proclaimed Catelyn Tully, "After King Robert."_

Dragonstone

_Melisandre held her breath and expelled her dark-haired, dark-eyed son. The future lord of Winterfell. Eddard Stark's heir. One third of Azhor Azhai. The gift of the Lord of Light._

"_Melisandre, I need you." Called Cora._

_Queen Rhaella's pain was bearing in for a moment, this baby was too soon. It would more than likely die like all the others. Viserys resumed his hold on her hand and suddenly Elsa grabbed her other hand soothing her aunt with her cold touch. Cora's assistant, Melisandre appeared suddenly. _

"_Push now, Your Grace." That was Cora._

"_Where's that traitor Grandmaester Pycelle?" demanded Viserys._

"_Don't worry about him, child." That was Gerda._

_Rhaella felt a tug. All it took was one more breath and Cora cut the cord and held the new princess in her arms. She had the silver-gold Targaryen and Rhaegar's eyes, that seemed to be somewhere between light purple, dark blue, and brilliant green._

"_Daenerys." Rhaella breathed, "It means 'fire-hearted'."_

"_She's strong, milady." Cora said softly, "She will live." The moment the midwife had said this Melisandre moved up behind the Queen with a pillow. Elsa put up her little hand, there was a puff of cold air and ice began to form around the midwife's feet only for it to melt slowly. _

"_I knew it." Answered Melisandre, "You child have the darkness of the Great Other in you. You are a freak and a monster."_

_Gerda stepped between the midwife and her daughter._

"_Don't speak to her like that." She said softly, "And don't talk about freaks. In Asshai, your people have tried to bring Dragons into the world for years, but you can't because that tyrant you call a god knows nothing of them, or of beasts." The door opened and an old man in a white cloak entered._

"_You called for me, your grace?" Ser Barristan Selmy asked._

"_Stand aside, old man!" shouted Melisandre, some force threw the old man aside. The Red Witch pulled the Queen's Heart from her chest and crushed it in her hands. There was moment of silence, just a moment and the door opened again. Two young men walked in. One of them had dark hair and deep gray eyes, the other was small and scrawny with honey-colored hair and they both looked like they had been through a storm._

"_Melisandre." The taller of the two young men said, "What have you done?"_

"_I have caused the prophecy to be fulfilled milord."_

"_Did you also kill my sister and arrange for the Prince's family to die."_

"_It was the will of the Red God." Melisandre answered, "Our son is you heir."_

_She held up the small dark-haired boy._

"_I will take him." Ned amended, "To be raised by the Old Gods. You should leave. Before Stannis Baratheon comes."_

"_You're Usurper's man, aren't you." Asked the Prince standing pathetically in front of his aunt and cousin._

"_Yes." Ned answered, "But I'm not here to kill you."_

"_I don't believe you." Viserys said._

"_That's fine." The Northmen shrugged his shoulders, "You have no reason to. Your brother named you for Viserys II, the Hand of the Three Kings. Robert was wrong about him you know."_

"_I know he was." The boy answered, "Rhaegar hated to see women naked. He said that Father was a brute, because of what he did to mother."  
"Peace, Vis." Gerda put her hands on her nephew's shoulders, "He's on our side. Why are you here?"_

"_My sister told me the Queen was with child." Ned drew his sword slowly, it was Ice. Pure Valyrian steel, "She told me that the child was my responsibility."  
Melisandre melted in fear._

"_Dragonsteel. I thought you loved me, Eddard."_

"_Give me my son." Was all Ned would say._

_Melisandre reluctantly agreed._

"_And give the Princess to Ser Barristan." Cora shrugged and went forward._

"_You're making a big mistake." Was all Cora would say, "I'll leave you to realize it on your own." She disappeared in a puff of smoke._

Dragonstone; Present Day

_Emma Swan_

Dragonstone was a desert. It was a rocky, salty desert in the middle of a lost and broken ocean.

"I hate this place." Complained Will Scarlett.

"What Dragonstone?" asked Hook brushing a wet hair out of his eyes.

"You've been here before?" asked Alice. She seemed surprised she didn't know this little bit of information about him. Which would have been surprising if I'd seen it happen last night, in the past few hours, I'd observed her and her boyfriend with him enough to know that they were thick as thieves. It was a good thing that Henry was being such a sport. Hook had been complaining about just about every solitary thing he could think of since we'd landed and arguing in an extremely immature manner with Scarlett. Neil tried to play peacekeeper, but he repeatedly got his ass pissed on. Mulan kept running ahead, the Merrymen did absolutely nothing except drink and swear like sailors and somebody real should have told Aladdin and Jasmine (Alice and Cyrus) to get a room.

"It's not a something I normally talk about." Scarlett said, "Let's just say I owe people money and my name here is Nate Willson. Nobody will no suspect anything about that."

"Okay." I said.

"Hey guys." Henry was up ahead with Mulan, "You should see this." There was a tall good-looking kid with tousled black hair laying in the ditch. He looked up at us with puppy dog eyes. Mulan had a blade on him.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Gendry Waters." He looked scared, which he definitely should been.

"Do you know anything about the Song of Ice and Fire, Gendry Waters?" Mulan asked.

"I heard my Uncle and Lady Melisandre tell me about that from the dungeon."

There was a coldness in my chest.

"Who's your Uncle, Kid?"

"Stannis Baratheon."

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. If I did this would be on TV. You know the rest. And yes, I have taken A LOT of liberties with Westerosi history, but keep in mind it's a Once fic and in Once tends to take liberties with the canon of every story it gets its hands on.


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